Privacy Policy
Transparency about how we handle your data is core to our mission.
Last Updated: February 2025
1. Information We Collect
We collect information to provide better career guidance and mentorship matching. The data we collect falls into several categories:
1.1 Information You Provide Directly
- Account Information: Name, email address, phone number, date of birth, and profile photo.
- Educational Background: Current institution, field of study, academic achievements, transcripts (if uploaded), and career aspirations.
- Professional Information: Work experience, skills, certifications, resume/CV, LinkedIn profile, and career goals.
- Mentorship Data: Questions asked, session notes, feedback provided, and communication with mentors.
- Payment Information: If applicable, billing address and payment method details (processed securely through third-party payment processors).
1.2 Information Collected Automatically
- Usage Data: Pages visited, features used, time spent on platform, search queries, and interaction patterns.
- Device Information: IP address, browser type, operating system, device identifiers, and language preferences.
- Location Data: Approximate geographic location based on IP address (we do not track precise GPS location).
- Cookies and Similar Technologies: We use cookies, web beacons, and local storage to enhance user experience and analyze platform performance.
1.3 Information from Third Parties
We may receive information from third-party services you connect to your account (e.g., LinkedIn, Google) or from public databases to verify credentials and enrich your profile.
2. How We Use Your Data
The primary purpose of data collection is to deliver and improve our services:
- Mentorship Matching: Use algorithms to connect students with mentors based on skills, goals, industry, and geographic preferences.
- Personalization: Tailor career roadmap recommendations, course suggestions, and content based on your profile and behavior.
- Communication: Send important updates, notifications about mentorship sessions, platform announcements, and promotional content (with opt-out options).
- Safety & Security: Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and unauthorized access. Enforce our Terms of Service and Code of Conduct.
- Analytics & Improvement: Analyze usage patterns to improve platform features, user experience, and overall service quality.
- Legal Compliance: Comply with legal obligations, respond to lawful requests, and protect our rights and those of our users.
3. AI & Research Usage
Wimentor utilizes data to train Machine Learning models aimed at solving the career guidance crisis in Africa.
We may use anonymized and aggregated data points (such as career trajectories, common skill gaps, and successful mentorship patterns) to train our AI models. This helps us provide better automated guidance to millions of youth who may not have access to human mentors.
Our Commitment: We strictly remove Personally Identifiable Information (PII) before any such processing. Data used for AI training undergoes anonymization techniques including data masking, generalization, and differential privacy methods.
3.1 Research Publications
We may publish research findings based on aggregated, anonymized data to contribute to the academic community and advance career development science. Individual users will never be identifiable in such publications.
5. Security Measures
We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your data:
- Encryption: All data transmitted between your device and our servers is encrypted using TLS/SSL (HTTPS). Sensitive data at rest is encrypted using AES-256.
- Access Controls: Access to personal data is restricted to authorized personnel on a need-to-know basis, with multi-factor authentication required.
- Regular Audits: We conduct regular security audits and vulnerability assessments to identify and address potential risks.
- Incident Response: We have a dedicated incident response plan to address data breaches promptly and notify affected users as required by law.
Important: While we take extensive precautions, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.
6. Your Rights & Choices
You have the following rights regarding your personal data:
6.1 Access & Portability
You can request a copy of all personal data we hold about you in a structured, machine-readable format (e.g., JSON, CSV).
6.2 Correction
You can update or correct inaccurate information directly through your account settings or by contacting us.
6.3 Deletion ("Right to be Forgotten")
You can request deletion of your account and associated data. Note that we may retain certain information as required by law or for legitimate business purposes (e.g., fraud prevention, dispute resolution). Anonymized data used in AI training cannot be individually identified or removed.
6.4 Opt-Out of Marketing
You can unsubscribe from promotional emails by clicking the "unsubscribe" link in any marketing email or adjusting your notification preferences in account settings.
6.5 Cookie Management
You can control cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling certain cookies may limit platform functionality.
To exercise these rights, contact us at: privacy@wimentor.com. We will respond within 30 days.
7. Data Retention
We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services. After account deletion, we may retain certain data for:
- Legal Compliance: Up to 7 years for tax, accounting, and legal purposes.
- Dispute Resolution: Until all claims and disputes are resolved.
- Anonymized Analytics: Indefinitely, as this data cannot be linked back to you.
8. International Data Transfers
Wimentor operates globally, and your data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside your country of residence, including the United States and European Union. We ensure that such transfers comply with applicable data protection laws through mechanisms such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) and adequacy decisions.
9. Children's Privacy
Wimentor is intended for users aged 16 and above. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16 without verifiable parental consent. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child under 16 without consent, we will take steps to delete such information promptly.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will notify you of material changes via email or a prominent notice on our platform at least 30 days before the changes take effect. Your continued use of Wimentor after such notice constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
11. Contact Us
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:
Email: privacy@wimentor.com
Data Protection Officer: dpo@wimentor.com
Mailing Address: Wimentor, [Silicon Mountain], [Buea, Cameroon]